Adjustable holder for wrist-watches.



C. W. & H. R. MORRIS. ADJUSTABLE HOLDER FOB WRIST WATCHES.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 13, i915- 5 1 e m J m w t a D1 Wrzzperzzz Vary/4'75 Z77 THE NORRIS PETERS cO., PHDTO-LITHO WASHINGTON. D. C,

E. i i

CLAUDE W. MORRIS AND HAROLD B. MORRIS, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

ADJUSTABLE HOLDER FOR WRIST-WATCHES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 15,1915.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, CLA DE W. MORRIS and HAROLD R. MORRIS, citizens of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Adjustable Holders for Wrist- Watches, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to devices for applying a watch to a wrist bracelet so that it can be carried on the wearers, usually a ladys, wrist.

The object of the invention is to provide a device of this kind for applying a metallic bracelet to a watch or vice versain which the device for taking hold of the watch is adjustable to, within certain limits, fit watches of differentsizes.

The invention consists in making a gripping device for holding the watch which, while so adjustable to size, is also very simple and neat in construction, easy to make and repair and not readily liable to get out of order, more particularly one in which the adjustment is made in such a way that a substantially smooth surface is presented both to the back of the watch to be gripped and to the hand of the user wearing the same, thus adding greatly to the practical utility of the device; this Without sacrificing anystrength of the gripping device.

The invention also consists in details of construction which will be hereafter more fully set forth, in the specification and claims.

Referring to the drawings in which similar numerals refer to the same parts throughout the several views, Figure 1 is a plan view of mechanism illustrating this invention in its preferred form, the gripping device being adjusted for the smallest size of watch which the device is designed to accommodate, the watch itself being shown in dotted lines. Fig. 2 is an inverted plan view of the parts appearing in Fig. 1, the watch being removed and a changed position of the parts being shown in dotted lines. Fig. 3 is a side view of the parts shown in Fig. 1, the bracelet chain being removed. Fig. 41 is a transverse view taken on the line 14, Fig. 1.

In order to secure the watch 10 between the ends 12 and 14 of the bracelet chain 15 of ordinary construction, the gripping device shown in the drawings and hereafter fully described is provided. This gripping device comprises a base member made in two separable parts 16 and 16" adjustable with reference to each other as hereafter described, one of said :parts as 16 being provided with a loop 18 adapted to receive the stem 20 of the watch, the other part as 16 being provided with spring fingers or clips 21 spaced apart as shown in the drawings and adapted to embrace separated points on opposite portions of the watch opposite to the loop 18 heretofore referred to, the result being that when the watch 10 is fitted into the device, as shown in the drawings, it is securely held in place. The part 16 is provided with a ring or loop 22 engageable by the end 14 of the bracelet chain 15 as shown.

The construction just described provides a satisfactory method of applying a watch of given size to a bracelet and thence to the hand or wrist of the wearer, when the plate 16, 16 is made of one solid piece with smooth upper and lower surfaces engaging respectively the watch and the hand of the wearer, but as watches suitable for wearing on the wrist vary considerably in size and it is both expensive and inconvenient for a jeweler to carry a stock of gripping devices to fit all watches, it is very important to provide a gripping device of this general type which can be adjusted to take diflerent sizes of watches. This result is accomplished in the following manner: The base plate is made in two parts 16, 16 separated, generally speaking, along the transverse line 24 running preferably substantially parallel to the line of the spring clips 21 and intermediate between them and the loop 18. One of the parts as 16 is provided with a plurality of, preferably three or more, extending fingers 26 and 27 staggered alternately on opposite surfaces of the plate 16 and fitting in correspondingly arranged recesses cut in the opposite member as 16 as clearly appears in the drawings. In the particular case here illustrated there are two of these fingers 26 extending from the top surface of the member 16 and one finger 27 extending from the bottom surface of part 16. These fingers 26 and 27 and the recesses in which they fit are so proportioned that, as is clearly shown in Fig. l, the upper surface 28 is always substantially smooth in contact with the watch, while the lower surface 30 is also correspondingly substantially level and permitting adjustment byvi'rtuelofpin" and slot connections in at least two of the fingers above referred to, the particular form here illustrated calling for slots 32 in the member 16, the pins 84- in th'e fin'gers QS-ex; tending through said slots 32. Obviously the relationship ofthese pins and slots may be reversed with reference to'the other parts named without departing from this invention. Somesort ofv locking device has to be provided, the particular embodiment here illustrated takingfthe form of a screw 36 passing'through a hole in finger 27 andremovablyinsertible in a selected one of 'the three holes 38,39 andi'in the member 16; Watches designed to be used in connection with thisdeviceare ordinarily small ladies watches and .dofinot v-ary more than about an eighth of an: inchor lessbetween successive sizes, so'that the spacing between these screw holes 38-40 is correspondingly slight but nevertheless very important in insuring the proper fit of the gripping device to a particular watch 'towhichdtmay beapplied. The loop 18is made of sucha size and'shape that, while it admits the stem 20 of the watch steinthrough it, it neverthelessholds the watch and the plate 'l6 inproXimity to each other under all circumstances.

Except as specifically noted, the eXact construction is not material, and may be varied: within reasonable limits without departing from the invention.

Having. thus described our invention, what we claim as newand desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. Ina device: of the class described, two

interfitting parts loeatablealong the' back I of a watch movable with reference to each 0ther,.to, in all positions,-present substantially' continuous smooth faces-, one to the watch, the other to the hand ofthe user, means for detachably securing said parts in selected positions with reference toeach other, and means carried by each of said parts-for retaining awatch in=contact with them.

2; In-aidevice of the'class described, two interfitting partsloc'atable along the back of a: watch movable 'instraightv lines with reference to each other to, in all positions, present substantially continuous smooth faces, oneto the watch, the other to the hand of'the user, means fordetachably securing said parts in selected positions with reference to each other, and means carried by saidipartsfor retaining a watch" in contact with them.

3 A gripping device for a watch comprising a-- substantially parallel surfaced plate provided with suitably spaced means eX- tendingjfrom its edges for gripping a watch, and means for having a wrist bracelet or chain attached thereto, said plate being made" in two separable parts adjustable lengthwise with reference to each other arranged to,"in all positions, present substantially continuous smooth faces, one to the watch, the other to the hand of the user, and arranged toaccommodate watches of dill'erent sizes between said gripping means in combination with means for detachably securing the parts of the plate in selected adjusted positions corresponding to the sizes of the respective sizes of the watches to which the device is applied.

4'. Agripping device for a watch comprising a substantially parallel surfaced plate carrying suitably spacedmeans on its edges for holding a watch and for having a wrist bracelet attached thereto, said plate being divided in two parts, one of which carries a plurality of fingers extending along the other part and connected thereto by a pin and slot connection permitting longitudinal adjustment of the two parts with reference toeach other, and means for securing said partsof the platesindesired positions, the plate parts and connections being constructed and arranged to, in all positions, presentsubstantially continuous smooth faces, one to-the watch, the other to the hand of the user.

5. A gripping device for a watch comprising asubstantially parallel surfaced plate carrying suitably spaced means on its edges for holding a watch and for having a wrist bracelet attached thereto, said plate being divided in two separable parts, a plurality of fingers extending from one of said parts of the plate entering and traveling in recesses formed in the faces of the other part of the plate so asto permit movement of theparts of the plate with reference to each other without substantially destroying the parallelism of the faces of the plate, and means operating in connection with said fingers for detachably securing the parts of the plate in selected adjusted positions with reference to each other.

6. A gripping device for a watch comprising a substantially parallel surfaced plate carrying suitably spaced means on its edges for holding a watch and for having a wrist bracelet attached thereto, said plate being divided in two separable parts, a plurality of fingers extending from one of said partsof the plate entering and traveling in recesses formed'in the faces of the other part of'the plate so as to permit movement of the parts of the plate with reference to each other without substantially destroying the parallelism of the faces of the plate, alternate ones of said fingers being located upon opposite faces of the plate, and means operating in connection with said fingers for detachably securing the parts of the plate in selected adjusted positions with reference to each other.

7. In a device of the class described, a two-part plate provided with watch retaining devices in which one of the parts of the plate contains projecting fingers alternately engaging opposite sides of the other part of the plate while permitting longitudinal movement in the direction of the lengths of said fingers of the parts of the plate with reference to each other, and means for detachably securing the parts together in selected positions with reference to each other.

8. In a device of the class described, a two-part plate provided with watch retaining devices in which one of the parts of the plate contains projecting fingers alternately engaging opposite sides of the other part of the plate while permitting longitudinal movement in the direction of the lengths of said fingers of the parts of the plate with reference to each other, said fingers lying in suitably formed recesses in the opposite part of the plate so that the faces of the plate are substantially parallel in all positions of the parts, and means for detachably securing the parts together in selected positions with reference to each other.

9. In a device of the class described, a two-part plate provided with watch retaining devices in which one of the parts of the plate carries projecting fingers alternately lying in slots on opposite faces of the other part of the plate so that longitudinal movement of the parts of the plate with reference to each other is permitted without destroying the substantially parallel character of the opposite faces of the plate, pin and slot connections between certain of said fingers and the opposite part of the plate which they engage, and means for detachably securing the parts of the plate in adjusted position.

10. In a device of the class described, a

gripping device comprising a plate made in two parts 16 and 16 provided respectively with watch retaining devices, one of said parts of the plate as 16 being provided with a plurality of fingers 26 and 27 extending from the edge of said member 16 which is adjacent to the part 16 the fingers 26 lying on one face of the plate, the finger 27 lying on the opposite face of the plate, both sets of fingers lying in recesses in the part 16 of the plate, pin and slot connections 3234E between the fingers 26 and part 16 of the plate, a detachable screw 36 insertible through a hole in the finger 27 on plate 16 and selectively placed holes in the part 16 of the plate for securing the parts in adjusted position, all of the parts being arranged and disposed substantially as shown and described for the purposes set forth.

In witness whereof we have hereunto subscribed our names in the presence of two witnesses.

CLAUDE W. MORRIS. HAROLD R. MORRIS. Witnesses:

DWIGHT B. CHEEVER, VSELINA E. HIGGINS.

Uopies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the (fommissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0. 

